(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a file handling device, and more particularly, to a file handling device capable of improving the efficiency of manipulation on a file menu of an application, a menu of a file browser such as Explorer, and a menu of an icon on the desktop, the drag-and-drop operation on the file browser, etc. during handling of files in a GUI (Graphical User Interface) environment, that is, during selection of a file to be opened in an application, selection of a location to which a file is to be copied, and selection of an application in which a file is to be opened.
(2) Description of the Related Art
In GUI environments, files are handled basically with the use of a mouse, and almost all operations except for the entry of characters, such as the selection of a data file to be opened from within an application and the operation of selecting, copying or moving files listed in a file browser, can be performed with the mouse.
In an operating system based on a GUI environment, for example, in Windows (trademark of Microsoft Corporation, U. S. A., registered in the United States and other countries), file handling described below is available.
Clicking xe2x80x9cFilexe2x80x9d in the menu bar of an application which is already started opens a file menu. The file menu displays, in addition to items such as xe2x80x9cNewxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d, a list of recently accessed files, and by specifying a file item in the list, it is possible to select with ease a file to be opened. The number of items to be displayed in the list of recently accessed files is set beforehand. Each time a file that is not on the list of recently accessed files is selected, it is added to the list, and when the number of files added becomes greater than the set number of items, the oldest item is removed from the list so that only the latest file items may always be displayed.
Also, right-clicking the mouse with a file selected in a file browser or with an icon on the desktop selected opens a menu including the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d. By selecting the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d, it is possible to start the selected application or to open the selected file with its associated application started.
If the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d is selected in the file menu which has been opened by clicking xe2x80x9cFilexe2x80x9d in the menu bar, a file selection screen is displayed. The file selection screen displays, in the case, the contents of the last accessed folder (i.e., directory). If a target file exists in the current folder, it can be opened by specifying the corresponding file item and then double-clicking the item or pressing the xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d button. If the target file does not exist in the current folder, a xe2x80x9cSelect Folder (Select Directory)xe2x80x9d button is pressed and a folder including the target file is selected in a folder selection screen to switch to that folder, so that the target file can be selected.
Selecting the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d in the file menu which has been opened by clicking xe2x80x9cFilexe2x80x9d in the menu bar displays the file selection screen, and this file selection screen shows the contents of the last accessed folder, as mentioned above. If, in this case, a target file does not exist in the current folder, a xe2x80x9cBrowsexe2x80x9d button is pressed to display a folder tree screen, and a folder including the target file is selected in the screen to switch to that folder, so that the target file can be selected.
Further, a file selected in the file browser may be dragged and dropped onto an application which is already started, an icon of an application or folder on the desktop, or an icon of an application file or folder displayed in the file browser, all visibly shown on the screen. By dropping the selected file onto an icon of an application, it is possible to start the application and open the dragged file. Also, dropping the selected file onto an icon representing a folder permits the dragged file to be copied/moved to that folder.
In cases where a target file is not on the list of recently accessed files in the file menu which has been opened by clicking xe2x80x9cFilexe2x80x9d in the menu bar, however, the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d is selected to display the file selection screen, and if the target file still does not exist in the current folder displayed in the file selection screen, double-clicking operation or the like usually needs to be performed a plurality of times in the folder selection screen, which is displayed in response to depression of the xe2x80x9cSelect Folderxe2x80x9d button or the xe2x80x9cBrowsexe2x80x9d button, to switch the current folder to a folder containing the target file before the target file is finally selected.
Also, where a menu is opened with a file selected in the file browser or an icon on the desktop selected, selecting the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d in the menu merely starts the application represented by the selected file or icon, or starts an application associated with the file represented by the selected file or icon and then opens the file. Accordingly, in the former case, a file needs to be opened after the application is started, and in the latter case, the file cannot be opened in an application that is not associated with the file.
In the file menu which opens upon clicking xe2x80x9cFilexe2x80x9d in the menu bar, the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d is located at a position easiest to select in the menu. Since it is easier to select the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d than the list of recently accessed files located at the bottom of the menu, in many cases the item xe2x80x9cOpenxe2x80x9d is selected to open the file selection screen without the items in the list being checked. The file selection screen usually opens the last accessed folder, and therefore, if a target file exists in another folder, it is necessary that the current folder be switched to the folder containing the target file.
Also, in the drag-and-drop operation, the dragged file can be dropped only onto an application which is already started, an icon of an application or folder on the desktop, or an icon of an application file or folder displayed in the file browser, all visibly shown on the screen, regardless of the position from which the file is dragged. In general, applications and folders which a user frequently uses are presumably limited in number. However, in cases where the target of a drop operation is an application which is already started or an icon of an application file or folder displayed in the file browser, the application needs to be started beforehand, and where the target of a drop operation is an icon of an application or folder on the desktop, such an icon needs to be placed on the desktop beforehand. Icons on the desktop remain displayed even after the drop operation is completed and thus the icons are unnecessary any longer; therefore, if the number of icons displayed increases, the desktop is crowded with icons and it is also difficult to find a target icon when a dragged file is to be dropped, lowering the operation efficiency. Further, in cases where the target of a drop operation is distant from the position from which a file is dragged, the file needs to be dragged over a long distance to the position of the target of drop operation, hindering efficient drop operation. If the target of a drop operation is hidden behind another window, moreover, a problem arises in that the drop operation cannot be performed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a file handling device which eliminates the need for manipulation or reduces the number of manipulations on a file selection screen during handling of files especially in a GUI environment, to thereby facilitate the selection of a file to be opened or started or of an icon as a target of drop operation.
To achieve the above object, there is provided a file handling device permitting handling of a file/folder in an application and in a file browser and handling of an icon on a desktop. The file handling device comprises environment setting means for setting items to be displayed as menu items, settings storing means for storing contents of settings set by means of the environment setting means, history storing means for storing a history of opened files/folders, file menu item creation/display means for additionally displaying, in a file menu, items of recently accessed files/folders stored in the history storing means or items of files/folders stored in the settings storing means, file selection screen item creation/display means for additionally displaying, in a file selection screen, the items of recently accessed files/folders stored in the history storing means or the items of files/folders stored in the settings storing means, folder tree item creation/display means for additionally displaying, in a folder tree menu, the items of recently accessed files/folders stored in the history storing means or the items of files/folders stored in the settings storing means, drop list window creation/display means, responsive to a drag operation, for creating and displaying a drop list window showing, as target files/folders of drop operation, the items of recently accessed files/folders stored in the history storing means or the items of files/folders stored in the settings storing means, and file/icon menu item creation/display means for additionally displaying, in a menu which is opened in a situation where a file/folder is selected in the file browser or an icon on the desktop is selected, the items of recently accessed files/folders stored in the history storing means or the items of files/folders stored in the settings storing means.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention by way of example.